Two Stats From The Most Recent Season of Manuscript Submissions

I submitted two articles to numerous journals earlier this year in March/April using the Expresso service.

Two statistics:

Percentage of journals that took action triggering the “confirmation of receipt” response at my Expresso account:  39%.

Percentage of journals that have informed me of a publication decision:  24%.

The first stat is probably meaningless (perhaps because the information itself is rather meaningless).  But if Expresso is receptive to a suggestion, I’ll suggest that it modify its software in a manner that generates an automated “confirmation of receipt” response at the moment when the journal opens its mailbox to which the manuscript was sent (rather than relying on an affirmative declaration from a student editor that the manuscript has indeed been received).  Hey, if Expresso can't confirm receipt, why should I (or my law school) pay for the service?

The second stat is disappointing.   Not disappointing because I didn’t receive offers from the other 76% of journals, but because I never received any response from 76% of journals.   Should I conclude that:

student editors are simply overwhelmed with a flood of manuscripts and don’t have the time to contact all authors?

student editors have adopted the mantra, “no news is bad news”?

student editors are insensitive to our fragile egos, or perhaps enjoy a bit of payback for our Socratic grillings?

law schools should require students to take a course in “document organization, time management, communication skills, and manners”?

                                           

Thoughts?

Comments

[Kevin Maillard]

I think many of the reviews don't get around to it for sheer volume reasons. I have been very surprised to get a response from a journal 12 months after I submitted, and the article had already been published. To make it even more interesting, a colleague of mine received a "yes" from a top ten journal a year after deciding to publish with someone else. Too late there.

[anon]

Percentage of schools that contacted me after the meat market ... (I should add that South Texas in fact did). Kettle, meet pot.

[Tim Zinnecker]

Anon, yes indeed. Many schools never contact candidates after the AALS hiring conference (I'm still waiting, and it's been over 15 years for me!). Many academics don't say "thanks" when they receive reprints. Why, I've known colleagues (in my own building!) who don't timely respond to emails or telephone inquiries. All of us, on both sides of the podium, could do a better job of practicing some of life's lessons learned in kindergarten, including the exercise of good manners.

[joel dobris]

young people rarely answer emails to them unless they feel like it, IMHO. why would they change as law review editors?